St. Stanislaus Seminary, also in jeopardy in Hazelwood, Mo. (Frank Petruso)

Dear Preservation 911,

The notice from the City of Hazelwood, Mo., reads: "The enclosed Public Hearing Notice is being sent to advise you that the Hazelwood City Council, at their regular meeting on March 5, 2003, will consider the petition received from Benco Landscape Construction Inc. for a Special Land Use Permit to operate a garage, public, commercial at 3845 Charbonier Road. Any comments you might want to make concerning this proposal will be heard and considered at the Public Hearing."

Charbonier Road is the site William Clark described in his journal entry of May 15, 1804: "The next morning we set sail at five o'clock. At the distance of a few miles, we passed a remarkably large coal hill, called by the French "La Charbonniere."

Wouldn't we hate to lose one of Missouri's first historic landscapes to a truck stop! The name of the road, Charbonier, means "coal-bearing." On a 1798 map of the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, there is a feature along the Missouri River named "Mine de Charbon," the coal vein where the people of Florissant and the Jesuit Missionaries, including Fr. Pierre Jean DeSmet, used to get coal. (Please see Phil Jose's Feb. 25 letter to Preservation 911. As he relates, the city of Hazelwood, Mo., has just allowed DeSmet's grave to be desecrated by his own Jesuits and moved to a cemetery in St. Louis City.)

This historic section of landscape, "Charboniere Bluffs," as we locals call it, is also in Hazelwood, in an area bounded by county and state parks on one side and beautiful old farms and residences on the other. This is a rural, residential area. To allow another historic landmark to be desecrated with a business of this type would surely be another disgrace against our heritage. But the present town administration is of a revenue-gathering mindset that is aimed at putting a commercial enterprise on virtually every piece of vacant or not-so-vacant ground.

If our historic-minded neighbors around America will take a little time out to send messages of protest to the following members of Hazelwood's administration, we can let them know how important this area is to our local and national heritage.

Mayor T. R. Carr, (314) 839-3700, ext. 226, trcarr@hazelwoodmo.org
Mat Robinson, (314) 895-3910, mrobinson@hazelwoodmo.org
Robert Aubuchon, (314) 837-3209, aubuchon@hazelwoodmo.org
Norma Caldwell, (314) 831-5733, ncaldwell@hazelwoodmo.org
Mary O'Reilly, (314) 291-7873, moreilly@hazelwoodmo.org
Jeanette Eberlin-Rizzello, (314) 521-9103, eberlin@hazelwoodmo.org
Peg Lampert, (314) 524-1528, lampert@hazelwoodmo.org
Patricia Jackson, (314) 838-7975, jackson@hazelwoodmo.org
Patricia Piotrowicz, (314) 838-0612, ppiotrowicz@hazelwoodmo.org

This is not the only landmark that is in danger in Hazelwood, Mo. St. Stanislaus Seminary, the single most important historic structure in Hazelwood, the beautiful stone building that the Jesuits abandoned when they left the area, seems to be on the demolition crew's agenda. The building is closed, and the museum has been moved to a "modern" facility. And all the graves have now been dug up. The following link will do a better job of relaying the importance of this beautiful stone building and its walnut interior: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/jesuit/mwjm.htm

Fortunately I live in next door in Florissant, Mo., where everyone, including the mayor and council members, are historically minded. But the seminary, just outside the city limits of Florissant, is in grave danger. I urge readers to contact Hazelwood city administrators concerning the preservation of this landmark also. The people of Florissant and Hazelwood appreciate your help.

Feel free to e-mail me with questions.

Sincerely,

Frank J. Petruso
Florissant, Mo.

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